Walmart to eliminate 2,000 tons of plastic

Global brand Walmart has announced its goal to eliminate 2,000 tons of plastic waste and therein all orders shipped from its fulfilment centres, stores and marketplace will arrive in recyclable paper bag mailers. This transition is expected to eliminate 65 million plastic bag mailers or more than 2,000 tons of plastic from circulation in the US by the end of the current fiscal year.

Walmart is also helping reduce the amount of cardboard used to ship products to customers by transitioning to right-sized packaging technology in approximately half of its fulfilment network. This technology helps create a package custom fitted to the customer’s order. By eliminating unused space in the box, this technology reduces the need for filler by 60% while reducing waste caused by oversized boxes by as much as 26%, creating a better unboxing experience for customers. Additionally, all Walmart customers shopping online can now request consolidation of multiple items into fewer boxes, reducing waste as well as the number of shipments.

In addition, Walmart utilises applied AI to identify when an item purchased online can be fulfilled from stores instead of fulfilment centres. This reduces both the number of miles driven and the number of boxes used for shipping. To ensure that items can more sustainably travel from stores to customers’ homes, Walmart combines multiple orders on single delivery routes and delivers them using electric vans. By leaning on its 4,700 stores as fulfilment centres, Walmart activates its end-to-end network to speed up delivery time for customers and reduce fleet miles and emissions, in line with the retailer’s commitment to achieve zero emissions by 2040.

With a 27% growth in e-commerce Walmart is continuing to invest in the right omnichannel capabilities to not only meet customers’ changing needs but also to grow its business and fulfilment network in a more sustainable way. All these efforts are part of Walmart’s commitment to becoming a more regenerative company, prioritising social and environmental issues that are relevant to its business.